The federal court system, which oversees more than 2.3 million cases a day, could grind to a halt unless Congress acts before March 1, when more than $500 million in automatic budget cuts — representing about 8 percent of the judiciary’s $6.7 billion budget — will take effect, legal experts say.

New York’s four district courts, which handle many major white-collar crime cases and multibillion-dollar corporate spats, would be especially hard hit, according to Tracee Davis, who chairs the New York State Bar Association panel tasked with fighting the budget cuts.

Experts say civil courts are facing months-long delays and even shutdowns because personnel would be shifted from commercial cases to criminal cases to prevent suspects from walking free for lack of a guaranteed speedy trial.

The nation’s judicial employees — spurred on by Chief Justice John Roberts — are also being enlisted for battle.

Recently, Roberts set aside his Supreme Court robe of neutrality to call out Congress for the cuts, which he said would mark the third year in a row of reduced budgets that already have caused logjam “emergencies” in courts.

He also urged confirmation of judges to fill vacancies in districts across the country.

“We in the judiciary stand outside the political arena, but we continue to do our part to address the financial challenges,” Roberts wrote in a Dec. 31 letter to the judiciary’s 33,000 employees.

“A significant and prolonged shortfall in judicial funding would inevitably result in the delay or the denial of justice for the people the courts serve,” he said.

Roberts pointed out that the court system’s $6.7 billion budget is a “minuscule portion” of federal spending, saying it represents a “mere two-tenths of one percent of the US total budget of $3.7 trillion.”

Meanwhile, the nation’s powerful American Bar Association is said to be rolling out its big guns. With help from the New York bar, the ABA is reviewing a resolution for its February conference to address the financial crisis threatening the courts.

The budget cuts would be lopsided, affecting only the half of the budget that’s spent on sizable support operations. As a result, that side would see an even steeper cut of 16.8 percent. By law, pay for judges and rents, which account for roughly the other half, can’t be cut.

New York’s federal courts are the premier chambers for commercial cases in the nation’s financial capital. The courts are also vital for international contracts as a neutral venue for settling conflicts, due to their perceived transparency and stability.

Davis said a frozen court system could wreak havoc on the Big Apple’s legal profession, while sapping clients of cash they would have to hold in reserve longer during litigation.

“It would take years to recover from gridlock or temporary shutdowns of commercial courts,” said Davis. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see ordinary litigation costs double.”